“We can improve on maintaining the NTFC”- Minister Norton

January 27, 2018

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for sport, Dr. George Norton on Thursday visited the Leonora Track and Field Centre (NTFC) where he met the staff and discussed the way forward for the operation and maintenance of the sporting facilities. He was also scheduled to visit the National Stadium at Providence but did not.
The visit was intended for the minister to get a firsthand look at the physical condition of the centre and to address the environment under which the staff are working. However, after touring the Leonora Facility, Minister Norton expressed some dissatisfaction.

Minister Norton examines the synthetic track at the NTFC, Leonora

“I do not think it is the kind of construction that any contractor would be proud of particularly in the plumbing area, but having said that, I think that our workers can do a better job at maintaining that centre,” the Minister stated.
The Minister said that while he did not tour the National Stadium, he was nonetheless pleased with the feedback he received from members of staff. He, however, noted that there are some areas in both facilities that can be dealt with immediately.
“There are some areas that we can consider as low hanging fruits that we would remedy, find solutions and put things in place in both centres.”
The Minister plans to conduct more visits of similar nature in the future.
“We (Ministry of Social Cohesion) are hoping that we would be able to visit all the other centres including these two more regularly, if not quarterly and to keep in communication with not only the directors but also with the staff so that we have a first-hand idea of what is taking place in these centres,” Minister Norton said.
Meanwhile earlier this month, Operations Manager of the facility, Trevor Williams had told Guyana Times Sport that he is also planning some major upgrades to the facility this year.
Two warm up areas are going to be constructed in the first half of the year at the facility; those areas will be two 200-metre synthetic track curves on opposite shoulders of the compound.
The lack of such areas in the past was highlighted especially at the South American U-20 Championships last year where the absence of warm up areas was a hindrance.
This has led Williams to further develop the facility in an effort to ensure that the facility remains up to standards and able to host meets of international quality. (Michelangelo Jacobus)